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How NOT to do it All

June 18, 2020

POST: 7 books that changed my life

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Hi, I'm Laura — Training Neuroscientist, ICF accredited Coach and here to give you the science to help you succeed in business and life

Meet Laura

How do you do it all? That’s the question I get asked a lot and the truth of the matter is, I don’t. I absolutely do not do it all and it’s really not possible to (sorry if that’s ruined anybody’s illusion of what’s possible).


There’s a reason why superman’s a fictional character right? I value my mental health way too much to even try and ‘do it all’.

For those of you who don’t know me, I have a 2 and a 3 year old and my husband works abroad so I know the struggle is real. But I also know that it’s possible to do anything if we’re truly passionate about it (anything not everything!). 


I know everybody’s situation is different and we’ve all been thrown into a new way of life recently which has taken away time, money and freedom for a lot of people.


But maybe you’re seeing this as an opportunity to finally look into starting that business for real?


If so, this one’s for you.


I want to share with you how I set up my business on 2 days a week whilst looking after the kids (and 3 nights a week when they’re in bed because I need a break too so those other 4 nights are for me – ok, for me cleaning the house but still, for me).


The honest truth is, it’s hard. I’d love to be dedicating every minute of every day to the business but it’s just not possible. And I also want to have this time with the kids whilst they’re so young.


But I do follow 5 steps in order to be mum and CEO which I want to share with you today in case they could help you at all. So here goes:


#1 Do the important things and then walk away
This is a really obvious point but it’s so easy to go off down the rabbit hole of doing a million and one things and not actually doing the things that get you clients. 


A business without income is a hobby which is great if that’s what you want but if this is your only source of income, then it’s not sustainable.


So do the tasks that get you clients first.


#2 And on that point, learn how to get the clients
There’s no point when time’s so limited trying out a million and one ideas that you find on the internet in a scattergun approach. Throwing stuff out there and hoping it sticks like spaghetti.


Finding a mentor to take you through the steps is invaluable. Now this can be really expensive especially if it’s one on one with somebody very high up. But a lot of people are doing programmes which are a lot more affordable (again, depending on your situation) or group programmes where you get the information in a group package.


I’d say here, go with your gut. There’s a lot out there so you don’t want to waste money and time on what doesn’t work for you but equally it’s not about spending a year deciding which one to choose.


#3 Let yourself off the hook
We’re always going to feel the pull for something else. Whether we are full time working mums, stay at home mums, part time working mums or business owners. You can either feel guilty in all aspects or own the fact that you’re doing your absolute best at that given moment, whatever it is that you’re doing. When I’m in the office working, I’m in boss mode and then when I get the kids, it’s mum mode. 


Now that transition isn’t easy and I struggle with it every-single-time. But equally, I’m kind enough to myself to realise that I’m doing my best. And that’s all you can ask of yourself.


#4 Talk to others about this
Especially your friends and family. It can be really easy to isolate yourself when you’re setting up a business because you will more than likely be working on your own from home. You may worry your friends won’t understand because they’re not in the same place as you and this is definitely a trap I fell into.


But your friends care about you. And this is way too lonely a path to try and do by yourself. When I was doing this way back in 2015 pre kids, I tried to surround myself with other entrepreneurs who could understand.


I still think this is a good idea but given the time limitations we have now (and obviously the current restrictions) I’d say that this is a nice to have but will be something that will grow naturally as your business does.


#5  Get organised
Again simple but not easy.


Work out exactly what you need to do to get the clients coming in. Work out how long you think that process is going to take and then double it because we always overestimate what we can do in a short period of time.


And then write out the tasks in your calendar and get a process in place.


Batch things where you can and repurpose material so you’re not reinventing the wheel every week. This email will be repurposed into a video, a podcast, a blog and then into my social media posts. One piece of content then becomes nine different avenues of reaching out to people. It’s time efficient.


So there you have it. That’s my top 5 tips to starting up a business whilst being mum. 


Look, I’m not going to sugar coat it, it’s not easy. But then I don’t think being a SAHM is either or working full time with the smalls. But if you want to start a business then now might just be the perfect time for you. 


My personal take on it is I want to be doing this when they go to school and then when they eventually leave home which I know is a reaaaaaally long way off but I want to have it in place now, so I’m not just starting out when they leave. Does that make sense?


If you’re thinking about starting up a business but just don’t know even where to start, then do you want to have a chat? It’s completely free and no strings attached with a promise of no heavy sales at the end. Well, actually no sales at all. It will help you get started and it will help me clarify what my potential clients really need so everyone’s a winner!


If you do, access my calendar here and book a time in.


Due to the kiddos and lockdown, my times are fairly limited so if none of them work for you, drop me an email and we can try a work around.


With love ????  and gratitude ????  
Laura
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